


Working Out the Details

by CapsicleRogers



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-07
Updated: 2014-01-07
Packaged: 2018-01-07 21:12:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1124449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapsicleRogers/pseuds/CapsicleRogers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve's going to ask Tony out... eventually. It's harder when things like giant tentacled ooze monsters and Pepper Potts are in the way. (Or, Pepper gives the scariest shovel speeches and why does nothing go Steve's way?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mrhd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrhd/gifts).



Steve thought he had the perfect plan. He'd brought lunch down to the business levels of Stark Tower, fully intending to corner Tony in his office and force him into something of a lunch date. This wasn't a totally new occurrence, as Steve actually quite often made Tony lunch to bring to the man during his work hours or during the late nights when he was lost in work in his garage. But today was going to be different, because Steve had been working on a speech to finally ask Tony out on a real date.

 

If he were honest with himself, Steve would admit that he'd been pining after Tony for months. Ever since the billionaire had invited the Avengers to stay in Stark Tower (it was Avengers Tower now, at least to the upper tenements), Steve had found himself fascinated with the man who never seemed to stop working and managed to make them all feel welcome in his home without ever making it obvious he was doing so. Steve had been looking for somewhere to call home since he'd woken up, and suddenly Avengers Tower began filling that void, mostly thanks to the team Steve was beginning to think of as friends and even something like a family. Tony in particular had paid special attention to Steve, making sure the blond was comfortable and happy in his new settings and never letting him get bored of the Tower or its inhabitants.

 

So Steve had started paying attention in return, going out of his way to speak with Tony and involve himself in the other man's life. Steve found he didn't mind the minor inconveniences this caused, and that he actually began to anticipate spending more and more time with Tony wherever the man was. Steve grew only more interested in the man as time passed,  until he could no longer deny that he was, quite helplessly, in love with Tony Stark. He had always been attracted to Tony physically - the man was good looking and knew it, but not even Steve could deny that it was appealing -  and now that they were friends, Steve had grown interested in Tony’s mind and heart as well.

 

In other words, he was well and truly screwed when it came to trying to be friends with the man. Steve decided that the best thing to do, then, would be to pursue him romantically, but of course that started with a proper date.

 

The bell to the elevator let out a ding as it reached the appropriate floor, and Steve took a deep breath as he exited into its lobby, looking for the secretary to let him into Tony's offices. The blonde that usually ran the desk - Becky, if Steve's memory served - was there, and waved Steve in with a smile, barely looking up from her magazine before she recognized him. Steve thanked her with a sheepish nod, careful not to disrupt the food containers he was carrying as he pushed through the office door.

 

The suite was brightly lit as Steve entered, and he heard voices coming from one of the farther offices, so he waited patiently while Tony - whose voice he recognized as one of those speaking - finished his conference with whomever he was arguing with this time. Steve could still identify the tinny ring of multiple voices on the phones despite Stark Industries' pride in their telecommunications quality, so he set down the containers and found a seat until he could hear the familiar farewells of Tony's normal conference calls.

 

The farewells never came, and Steve was startled as one of the office doors flew open and both Tony and Pepper came pouring out, nearly shouting at each other.

 

"You can't just hang up on them, Tony, we're trying to establish a friendly - "

 

"I can hang up on whoever, Pep, it's not like we actually need these people - "

 

"It would be a lot easier if you would just - "

 

"I really can't believe you think you're going to get anything - "

 

Steve coughed, catching the attention of both the redhead and the brunet in front of him. "Hi," he practically squeaked under the twin stares, but he refused to let their glares squash his confidence. He needed all of it for what he was about to do, and so he picked up the containers and moved to speak.

 

"Cap!" Tony interrupted, plowing over whatever Steve had been about to say and crowding into his space to shake his hand and clap his shoulder in greeting. "What are you doing down here, buddy?"

 

Steve nearly gulped, running through the speech he'd come up with before boarding the elevator. He'd been over it in his head at least six times on the way up and still wasn't sure it was perfect yet, but he was out of time. "I brought you lunch. You never get lunch at a reasonable time and I wanted to make sure you did today. I wanted - "

 

"Aw, Capsicle, you do care," Tony interrupted again, and Steve noticed that the man seemed to be a bit distracted, "But I actually gotta fly today. Pep's got me on the ropes with some of these companies we're trying to break deals with and if I don't get them handled now she's going to burst a blood vein in her gorgeous face." Tony gave Pepper a pointed look at this, but she only rolled her eyes.

 

"You're not going to think this is a joking matter when we're all living on the street, Tony," she reprimanded in response, but Tony merely laughed at her.

 

"This is exactly why you're still in charge of the company. I know you won't let any of us on the street. All of us on the street. You know I wouldn't survive, right? Anyway, Stevie, how about I promise to get lunch on the way to one of these meetings for you? Does that sooth Mommy Cap enough for you for the day?"

 

Steve sighed, because they were totally missing the point of this conversation. "I was actually hoping you might want to join me tonight for dinner," he tried this time, grasping Tony lightly by the arms and trying to relay his intentions in a meaningful look.

 

"You're not trying to get me on like one of those health food kicks are you?" Tony asked in response, returning Steve's look with his own suspicious glance, "Because I've done the green shake thing and I don't think I can go through it again, not to mention I don't think it can sustain your massive caloric needs."

 

Steve resisted the urge to sigh again and clutched Tony's arms a little tighter. "No, Tony, look. I wanted to ask you out somewhere tonight because I think - "

 

And this time, Steve was cut off by the buzzing of Tony's intercom. All three of them turned towards the source, listening carefully while Happy announced that he was ready downstairs with the car. Pepper gave Tony a scathing look, and he returned it with a pout before turning back to Steve.

 

"Ah, sorry, Cap," Tony said, actually looking genuinely apologetic despite the fact that he seemed to be doing his best to remove himself from Steve's grip, "Looks like business calls."

 

Steve loosened his grasp on Tony and the other man stepped out of his range quickly, giving Steve a look that he didn't recognize but felt something like panic. Steve briefly wondered what might have the man so on edge - it wasn't business, because Stark Industries never garnered much concern from Tony - but decided there were more important issues to worry about than whether or not he had been the reason for Tony's discomfort.

 

"If we could just take a moment," he tried one more time, "What I'm trying to tell you is that I've been thinking a lot lately and I feel like we should talk about something that's really important to me - "

 

This time Tony halted him with a hand on Steve's arm and a pleading look. He held up one hand in a pause gesture before pulling away and pushing his sunglasses onto his face. "Listen, we'll have this talk again over this dinner you keep mentioning, okay? You can work it out with JARVIS over my schedule, can't you?"

 

"Yeah, sure," Steve conceded through a concealed sigh, trying not to let his shoulders slump too much. Tony visibly perked at Steve's agreement and patted Steve's arm in consolation one more time before disappearing out the office doors. Steve's last glance of the brunet was of him hurriedly waving Becky goodbye on his way to the elevator. The blond watched him, forlorn, and moved to gather the food containers to hopefully use them later. He waited for Pepper to leave so he could collect what was left of his courage and his dignity and disappear into the residential levels for a few hours, but she was watching him and making no move to leave.

 

Pepper continued to watch him for what felt like a few hours but was really just a few seconds after Tony disappeared before she finally slid over to the intercom. "Tell Happy not to wait for me," she told Becky curtly before turning to Steve and gently nudging him into one of the back offices. Steve only made token protests as she continued to push him, nearly stumbling into Pepper’s own work space with one final shove and turning towards the redhead just as she shut and locked the door behind them. He quieted these protests when she turned back to him, face serious.

 

"I know you're not exactly going for subtlety here, but you're going to have to be much more obvious than that," she told him before he could ask her what she was doing. Steve, poised to ask Pepper what she needed, felt his jaw drop and he worked it for a few moments, looking for the words to reply.

 

“I don't know - " he tried, but that didn't make any sense because of course it was obvious to everybody but Tony that he was trying to ask the other man out. Pepper wasn’t a stupid woman by any means, and it was an insult to her to assume that she couldn’t figure out what he had been after in his efforts with Tony.

 

"Look," Pepper tried again, this time going for something a little less abrasive, "You're trying to ask Tony out on a date, right? You've been trying to get his attention for a few weeks now and it's become _painful_ watching you."

 

"I - " Steve tried to protest, because he felt a token protest was the least he should be doing. Steve could feel his ears beginning to burn, and eventually just admitted, "Is it that obvious?"

 

"Yes," Pepper replied, quickly and mercilessly blunt.

 

"Do you think he already knows?" Steve asked, actively trying to avoid his voice hitching with the thickness of this throat. What if Tony knew that he was trying to ask him out, and was turning Steve down the only way he knew how? What if that had been why the man was nervous at the idea of having dinner together?

 

"No," Pepper replied this time, and Steve let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Pepper offered a sympathetic glance and moved to sit at the desk in front of Steve. As she sat down, she clasped her hands together and gave him a long considering look while he continued to stand, waiting for her to elaborate on her reason for bringing him back into her office. "At least, I don't think he does, or he might be acting considerably more jumpy - you know, more than usual. But if you _want_ him to know, like I got the impression you did today, you need to be even less subtle. You need to just come out and say it."

 

"I was trying to come out and say it," Steve countered, taking one of the seats on the other side of the desk. And he had been, considering the speech he'd had in the elevator was no longer than three sentences long. "How much more obvious do I need to be?"

 

"Well you do know Tony's propensity for avoiding the truth when he thinks it goes against the reality he's set up for himself in his mind. His has a fantastic knack for self denial, Steve, you can't give him that chance."

 

Steve considered this for a moment, because he had sort of stumbled over his words and allowed Tony to rush through an excuse. And Pepper was right; even Steve had plenty of experience trying to convince Tony of something he'd already decided wasn't true or viable, and it was nearly impossible to do so without being firm.

 

"Do you have a suggestion?" he asked her, and Pepper considered for a moment, expression thoughtful, before she grinned.

 

"You've got a skill with getting him to do what he doesn't want to do," she said, "I know, because I'm pretty practiced myself. You'll just have to corner him."

 

Steve couldn't help but laugh. "No offense, ma'am, but that sounds like convincing Tony to listen to you is like trying to get a cat to the vet."

 

Pepper also laughed, a light, airy thing that instantly made Steve more comfortable. "Is it really all that different, Captain Rogers?" she asked, and leaned forward conspiratorially. "You just have to convince him that this is the vet he wants to go to. And I can assure you, a firm tone and a no-nonsense will take you a lot further than you may think."

 

"And you think I'll be able to convince him," Steve confirmed, feeling much better about his chances with Pepper's confidence. She maintained her smile and nodded, and Steve grinned back. "Then I really appreciate the advice." he said, and he did, because now he felt like there was no stopping him; not even a little hiccup like what had just occurred.

 

"Good luck, Steve, really," Pepper urged, reaching across the desk to take one of Steve's hands in both of her own. She gave him a smile that was full of sympathy, and Steve grinned back, glad to have received Pepper's blessing and her help. They parted, and Pepper moved to make sure her desk was ready for the next day as Steve moved to leave, ready to approach Tony as soon as he saw the man again.

 

"I should warn you though," Pepper called just before Steve made it to the door. He halted and turned back to her, watching as she examined her nails at the desk and made a point not to look at him, "That there will be consequences if you hurt him."

 

Steve nodded easily, because that was probably the least likely thing to happen. "Ma'am," he replied, "I would invite those consequences if I ever did such a thing."

 

"Good," Pepper said, and in the blink of an eye all the lights in the office went dark with the exception of a single emergency light situated right over Steve's head. It took him just a split second for his eyes to adjust, but when they did Pepper had already removed herself from her desk and was situated right in front of Steve. She grabbed the shoulder of his dress shirt and pulled down until he was eye level with her, and gave him a long, hard stare.

 

"I would hate to have to sit down with Captain America to have a discussion about the repercussions of hurting Mr. Stark, Captain Rogers. JARVIS and I know every detail, every aspect of your life. Where you go, who you see, what you do in your free time. JARVIS alone is capable of singlehandedly making you miserable but even he does not have the influence that I possess. I have taken down the worst of corporations and people alike, tamed Tony Stark on his worst days on his best days, and I still manage to step out of my louboutins every evening and put them away for the next day. Tony is my oldest and best friend, and do not think there is something I would not do to protect him. I know you've got the Captain America reputation going for you, Captain Rogers, but I can assure you that if you do anything out of line I will drag your name so far through the mud there won't be a soul in the nation that won't be loathe to associate with it. And you can rest assured your private life won't be much better."

 

Pepper didn't break eye contact once, and as she continued speaking Steve could feel the edges of her perfectly manicured nails digging further and further into the meat of his shoulder. It didn't quite hurt yet but there would definitely be marks for a few minutes, and it was nothing compared to the intensity of Pepper's hard blue gaze. It even felt icy, and Steve shuddered as he realized that the temperature in the room had actually dropped, and was surprised to find that in the short amount of time he'd been too nervous to look away from Pepper, it had gotten cold enough to see his breath in front of him. He barely managed to gulp and shiver again, however, before the lights all came back on and Pepper was standing back up, fixing the wrinkles in her skirt. Steve felt the room heat as well, and closed his eyes to take a deep breath and appreciate the feeling of hot air on his face.

 

"I'm sure you know your way out of here, Captain Rogers. If you'll excuse me, I need to call a ride to make sure Tony is attending the meetings he promised he would attend today."

 

"Of course, ma'am," Steve managed, returning to his full height and trying his best not to look as completely flustered as he felt. Pepper's piercing stare was going to be with him for a few hours at least, but he was both terrified and heartened that Tony had such loyal friends. "I promise to do my best with him," he added for good measure, opening the office door and allowing Pepper to pass him.

 

"I'm confident you will," she replied easily, "And Steve, by all means, it's Pepper."

 

-

 

Fortunately, the nervousness of Pepper's speech only followed him through the afternoon, which he spent trying not to think about her implications by distracting his mind and body in the gym. JARVIS announced Tony's return to Avengers Tower just as Steve was getting out of his post-workout shower, so he quickly dried and dressed and headed for the garage to try to approach Tony. The man was already hard at work when Steve made it to the right floor, and was elbow-deep in the legs of one of his Iron Man suits while he muttered calculations and instructions for JARVIS. Steve approached quickly, determined to have his say before Tony could escape this time.

 

He was just in time, as apparently JARVIS had also given the brunet fair warning of Steve's approach. Tony was just finishing putting together one last vital piece on his boots and standing to leave when he nearly ran head on into Steve, halting with a slightly panicked expression before Steve stopped him fully with a hand in the air.

 

"Capsicle!" Tony greeted, but it was clear that it was more of a formality than an actual greeting, "Come to find out if I grabbed lunch today? Because believe it or not, the Japanese dignitary _actually_ already had this buffet all set up and I swear I ate like at least three rice balls and that's something I think even you might regret later - "

 

"Tony," Steve said quietly, hoping the man might stop talking long enough for him to speak, but Tony pressed on.

 

"I know you said you wanted to talk and that's cool and all Cap, but I should warn you that I'm super busy and I was just going for a coffee break before getting back to - "

 

"Tony," he tried again, "Just... Tony, listen - "

 

Still, Steve's efforts were clearly going to be in vain. He bit his lip for a moment, ignoring the way Tony continued to go on and on about nothing important, and finally made a decision. Pepper had said that Steve would have to throw everything subtle out the window, and that he would have to be upfront. Captain America was nothing if not creative, and so in one last desperate attempt to draw Tony's attention to himself, Steve grabbed Tony by the shoulders and pulled him forward, locking their lips in a kiss that Steve hoped might actually shut the man up. It had its intended effect because as soon as their lips touched Tony stopped speaking and froze, going as stiff as a board while Steve continued to press their lips together. Tony never responded but did eventually relax, lifting his hands to press them against Steve's chest between the two of them. Steve prepared himself to be pushed back, but Tony didn't move any further, just continued to stand there and receive Steve's affections.

 

Steve pulled back after a long moment and took a deep breath, knowing that he had Tony's full attention even if not for long, and used the time to deliver the short speech he'd been preparing all afternoon. He knew there wasn't much time before Tony regained his sense and fled, and Steve needed to move forward and get his answer for his own sanity's sake, at least. He reached up to gently grasp at Tony's hands where they had splayed across his chest in Tony's shock, and locked them within his own soft grip.

 

"I'd like to take you out to dinner tonight, just the two of us. On a date, not on any sort of mission or experiment. Just a good old fashioned date."

 

"You - _oh_ ," Tony replied, freezing as realization dawned on his face. "Like a date date? You know the whole 'old fashioned' thing might be a little skewed by the whole us both being men thing, right?" he clarified, and Steve couldn't help but chuckle and nod.

 

"I'm well aware of that. But I know it doesn't matter to me, and I'm hoping it doesn't matter to you. I'd really like to take you out, Tony." Steve answered in return, biting his lip and waiting while Tony processed that as well.

 

"Tonight?" Tony finally clarified again, and Steve nodded a second time. Tony continued to think about this, staring at Steve as though looking for something in the blond that give him away, but Steve maintained eye contact and hoped his face didn't look as desperate as he was feeling for Tony to say yes.

 

"Sure," Tony replied after a few long, agonizing moments, dropping the response like he hadn't just had a minor panic over it and like it was the easiest answer in the world. Steve's heart fluttered at the sudden response, however, and he tensed in excitement as Tony continued to try to play it cool, "Did you have anything in particular in mind?"

 

"I was thinking about that bistro we've been looking at recently, the one on the fifth floor" Steve suggested, now practically buzzing with the excitement of Tony's agreement. He gently pulled Tony's hands from where they were still gripping his chest and placed them gently down on Tony's sides, and took a step back. "I'm open to suggestions, though, if you want to think about it," he told the brunet, trying to be sensual about it, "You can let me know in the living room at eight tonight, how does that sound?"

 

It was apparently sensual enough, because Tony nodded numbly through a dazed expression. Steve took the opportunity to lift one of Tony's hands again and place a gentle kiss on the bend of his fingers, backing away before the brunet could respond and disappearing back through the garage's main door. Steve waited until the elevator's doors had closed behind him before giving a small _whoop_ of triumph, and even winked at JARVIS's cameras when he spotted the small red dot blinking at him.

 

"My congratulations, Captain Rogers," JARVIS told him through the elevator speakers, and it sounded so genuine that Steve almost forgot JARVIS's role in the small speech Pepper had delivered to him earlier. He gave the AI system another grin anyway, glad to know Tony's programming at least appeared to be on his side.


	2. Chapter 2

The few hours Steve had granted them before the date passed quickly, although that was perhaps because Steve spent the entire time getting ready for his special evening. He met Tony in the common space right on time and they walked to the restaurant that Steve had chosen, quietly in order to just appreciate each other's company. Steve was surprised that Tony managed to remain so silent, but when the man finally did speak up it became clear he had just been looking for the right thing to say.

 

"So... was that the talk you wanted to have earlier, or was there something else?" Tony asked, each word deliberate as though he had been contemplating each of them separately for quite some time.

 

"That was actually what I wanted to talk about," Steve confessed, "Although now that you mention it I would like to discuss this a little further. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I'd like to know how you feel about me."

 

Tony's pace slowed as though he had not been expecting the conversation to carry on, but he didn't stop and his expression didn't change as he thought about his answer. "I hadn't put much thought into it," Tony admitted, tucking his hands into his pockets as their earlier pace resumed, "I hadn't even considered it much of an option until you brought it up this afternoon."

 

Steve let out a frustrated noise and uttered, " _Thanks a lot,_ " before Tony raised his hands quickly.

 

"Not like that! I just didn't think it would be an option for me. I mean, I've definitely thought about it, but it's not one of those things you think, ' _Hey, this could be real some day.'_ ' I didn't even know you were interested in men, Cap."

 

"I'm not," Steve explained, "Not exclusively, anyway. But there's definitely something about you that I'm interested in, and I think that's all that matters. And I'd like it if you called me Steve tonight."

 

Tony jumped a little and nodded, just as they were arriving at the restaurant. He rushed forward to grab the door, and Steve couldn't help but smile back at him as he passed. Even this seemed to startle Tony a little, but the brunet followed quickly after, seemingly recovered as they approached the restaurant's elevator.

 

"I think I can do Steve," Tony finally said as the doors closed behind them, "I mean, I might slip with Stevie once or twice but you'll forgive me for that, I can tell." He offered Steve a confident smirk, and Steve was glad to see a bit more of his confident Tony back so quickly into their date. It actually made his heart flutter, to know Tony was getting as comfortable with this as he was beginning to feel, and he risked standing closer to the man as the elevator neared their floor, which garnered an even softer smile out of Tony.

 

The dinner was nothing if not a success for the both of them, as they spent the entire evening laughing about their superhero disasters and battles and catching up as if they didn't live together. Steve loved how comfortable they were beginning to feel, and had taken a further risk halfway through their entrees to nudge one of Tony's knees with his own under the table. Tony had started, alarmed at the sudden contact, but it quickly dissolved into something of a leer before the brunet was pressing back and they enjoyed an extended game of footsie for the rest of the course. They were just about to enjoy the dessert that had arrived at their table when there was a commotion outside and everybody in the restaurant was out of their seats to peer out the window. Steve felt a deep dismay at the automatic response for New Yorkers to fly to the windows for a peek at the latest potential threat, but he and Tony were out of their seats just as quickly and trying to see past the sea of heads in front of them.

 

"Sir, there appears to be a large gelatinous blob approximately one block south and moving towards you," JARVIS explained from Tony's phone just as the pair caught sight of a lick of flames from down the road. Steve was already removing his tie and jacket as they turned around to head for the disaster, with Tony beginning to shout instructions for JARVIS in terms of his suit and for their upcoming battle.

 

"I got faster access on the roof, meet you at checkpoint in five?" Tony asked as they approached the restaurant's stairs, and Steve only nodded as he loosened the sleeves of his dress shirt. By the time he reached the bottom floor - still in a record speed, taking at least three stairs with every step - the blob JARVIS had noted in his message was rounding the corner just down the road and headed in their direction. Steve immediately began assessing his surroundings, keeping an eye out for the approaching Iron Man suit and identifying anything that he could be using for a weapon in the meantime.

 

He spotted a manhole nearby and rushed to it, picking up the cover with minimal effort and planning his shot carefully before firing the disk as hard as he could in the monster's direction. Steve hadn't planned on doing much damage, but he was surprised when the giant blob immediately absorbed the cover, breaking its momentum almost without noticing and enveloping Steve's makeshift weapon in a matter of seconds. It did however successfully draw the attention of the monster, who turned to face Steve's direction with a gurgling roar. Steve picked up another throwable item - this time it was a hefty piece of stone that had collapsed from a neighboring building under the quaking movement of the monster before them - and hurled it at the blob as well. This also caught in the blob monster's jelly-like body, but this time the monster began moving towards Steve at an alarming pace.

 

"Incoming!" Tony shouted, just as Steve caught sight of the armor approaching from the direction of the Tower. It was moving quickly, assembled to create the full Iron Man but beginning to disassemble for Tony as it approached their location. Steve picked up another nearby piece of debris to distract the blob monster one more time to give Tony the chance to assemble his armor, but he was apparently too late. Just as the armor finally neared the restaurant, so did their enemy, which moved in front of the armor and as it separated to avoid hitting the slimy prison. It look to Steve as though the armor would piece together around Tony, who was leaping off the roof to meet it mid air (a move Steve definitely didn't approve of but had seen numerous times). The gelatin creature roared one more time, however, and this time a slimy tentacle extended itself from the monster's midsection to shoot out and capture the armor. Each piece was gathered just before Tony to get to it with the exception of one gauntlet, which wrapped around Tony's own hand just in time to be consumed in green slime. Tony fired off one round from his repulsors to try to free himself as he was caught mid-air, but it merely shot through the blob and nearly dropped him the three or four stories to the ground.

 

"Tony!" Steve shouted in alarm, watching as the brunet dangled from one barely grasping gauntlet from the blob's outstretched tentacle. "Hang on!"

 

"Can't do much else, Cap!" Tony shouted from his position, struggling to give himself some purchase but failing to find anything to lock his other hand or feet on. Most of his armor was completely encased in the green slime of the blob's gel, and though the pieces were moving none were capable of moving very quickly. Even the gauntlet that Tony had successfully equipped was barely peeking through the outer membrane, and was fighting what seemed to be a losing battle with the amoeba-like ooze.

 

Steve made a number of quick calculations as Tony struggled to get a better grip on the glove that he did currently have, and decided that there wasn't enough time for the armor to assemble in order to save the man from also being consumed. Steve's own speed would be hindered by the flights of stairs, but he was watching Tony closely and it seemed like the gauntlet Tony was fighting with could hold on long enough, so Steve dashed back into the building and raced his way to the top. It seemed like he made it even faster than his previous trip, and he threw open the roof access door with as much force as possible, dashing to the edge to try to get an eye on Tony. Sure enough, he was still dangling from the blob monster's tentacles but only just, and Steve began looking for a way to free him. There wasn't an obvious solution, because Tony was a good twenty feet out and two stories down, just hanging without any sort of leverage. Steve didn't see anything on the rooftop which might be long enough to reach his teammate, and as he looked, the gauntlet was finally fully consumed in the slime of the tentacle.

 

Knowing that he needed to act quick, Steve decided the one solution he had found was going to be the one he'd have to act on, and so he backed up in order to get a running start and then lept off the parapet of the building. It was all in the timing, the swinging tentacle that held the struggling Tony and all of his tech, the distance Steve would have to cover in order to get a grasp on the man, and it was just barely correct as the monster whirled around to see Steve (with gelatinous eyes, how even did those function?) and he caught hold of Tony around the shoulders. Steve tucked the other man into himself as best as he could, wrapping Tony's legs around him as his momentum forced them in that direction anyway and holding Tony's head tightly against his neck and chest as the force of Steve's leap pulled them free of the slime and sent them spiralling to the ground. Steve tucked himself around the brunet in his arms as best as he could as they hit, taking most of the impact with his shoulder and rolling with the motion as they landed squarely on the ground. There was a burning where the asphalt tore through his clothes and left a number of burns on his skin, and his arm roared with the pain of impact, but as soon as they were stopped Tony was doing his best to detangle himself from Steve and stand.

 

"Steve!" the other man shouted, stumbling through the disorientation of the fall and clutching his hip where it had taken some of the impact, "Steve!" he shouted again when Steve didn't respond.

 

"No time," Steve finally managed through gritted teeth, gripping his arm and shaking it to try to tone down the stinging pain. "Where the hell is our back up?"

 

"Right here," Natasha's voice called over the speakers of an approaching quinjet, and as she finished speaking one of the jet's guns let loose a stream of some unidentifiable liquid which collided with the tentacle still containing the remaining parts of Tony's armor. The slime bubbled and disintegrated almost as soon as the blue liquid made contact and the limb fell from the monster, crashing to the ground and bubbling as it was slowly destroyed. Like it had been released from a leash, Tony's armor shot forward and encompassed its owner, and within the minute Tony was fully armored and powering up to join the quinjet.

 

"It's an amino solution," Bruce's voice called over the speakers as Tony approached them, "Designed to heat up the creature's organic material upon contact. In theory, the repulsors should do the same thing over a brief period of time."

 

"Gotcha," Tony called, and Steve watched from the ground as Iron Man activated the repulsor in his chest and fired it at the gelatin monster below him. The blob roared again, but this time was interrupted as the slime around its face began to bubble and melt. The quinjet fired another round from its guns, this time joining Iron Man's blasts on the main body, and the monster screeched again.

 

It only took about two minutes to wear down the monster once the process had been started, and Steve waited impatiently against one of the damaged cars on the road while his team handled the hard part of the battle. He moved his arm a few times to test its injury, and found that even in that two minutes it was beginning to heal. The stinging along his sides and back would take a little longer, but considering Iron Man was flying high above him rather than trapped in the slimy mess, he considered the sacrifice well worth it. He took a deep breath to steady himself, but even after the landing his heart was still racing and the battle was still going in his mind. He leaned over to try to regulate his breathing while they finished off the monster.

 

Later, Steve would blame it on the adrenaline from the fall and from the battle, but it was less than a minute after the fight was over that Iron Man finally landed and stepped back into Steve's view that Steve was practically on top of him, clutching at the armor and pulling on joints until Tony lifted the facemask. Steve didn't give him a chance to speak before he had gripped Tony by the collar plates and hauled him in for a kiss. Tony only allowed him a moment before he pulled back, bewildered, and dove in again. The kiss was heated and hard, a fight for dominance as well as an affirmation that they were both alive and safe and completely into each other. Steve let go of Tony's armor in order to wrap his hands around the helmet surrounding Tony's face and bury his fingers into the hair that was askew on both sides of the mask, and Tony took the opportunity to pull Steve closer and catch the gauntlets of his armor on the tears of Steve's dress suit. Both men sucked and clawed, looking for the softest places on each other and seeking to pull the other closer until Tony pulled back once more, a grin on his face. He untangled one of his gloves and wrapped his arm around Steve's back, catching the curve of his ass with his hand and pulling the blond as close as possible before activating his boots and taking off towards the Tower. Steve didn't even hesitate to get a better grip around Tony's neck, clinging to the armor with both arms and relaxing his thighs into Tony's firm grip.

 

They barely landed on the platform before Tony's bots were removing his armor faster than Steve had ever seen them work, and he hurried off the platform to wait for Tony by the door. It was almost too much time, because it gave Steve enough time to realize that his sides were still burning before Tony was pressed back up against him and he could distract himself again with the taste of the brunet's lips and tongue against his. They fumbled their way in the door, barely pausing to open the sliding glass before stumbling inside and fighting to press each other against the frame, tugging at clothes and nipping at lips and skin. Steve didn't hesitate to tear at the buttons of Tony's suit shirt in order to expose the man's front, and pressed his hand against the arc reactor there before dragging his lips down Tony's neck to meet his own fingers and to seek out Tony's navel. Calloused hands dragged across Tony's cool skin and he gasped as Steve found his nipples, pressing playfully before teasing away from the sensitive skin. Tony took the opportunity to tug upwards at Steve's ripped shirt, catching on a few of the scrapes but moving quickly enough that Steve was not deterred from his attention on Tony's abdomen. The brunet ran nails down Steve's back as the blond crouched in front of him, locking his hands together as Steve came up between them to meet Tony's lips with his own again.

 

They began another fight for dominance, pushing against each other and fighting with tongues and teeth and questing fingers, and Steve only barely managed to pull back long enough to mutter, " _Bedroom_ ," as Tony moved to attack his neck. Tony made sure to suck a purple bruise just under Steve's ear before he agreed with a groan, and the two began the stumbling dance of seeking lips and grasping limbs towards the nearest bedroom.

 

"Too far," Tony muttered into Steve's skin halfway across the main room, and Steve wasted no time in finally hauling the man up with two firm hands on his backside and carrying him towards the nearest bedroom. Tony was apparently right, however, as he immediately began to grind himself against Steve's hands and his tightening front as soon as he was lifted, and Steve barely made it to the couch before dropping Tony onto it and covering the brunet's body with his own. He began to hastily work the buttons of Tony's pants while trying to connect their lips again, but Tony was having none of it and licked a stripe up Steve's ear, thoroughly disrupting the blond's train of thought. Steve halted his advances to shudder and moan, deciding instead to go for his own pants first. Tony heartily agreed, fumbling around Steve's trying fingers in order to remove the offending article more quickly, and with nearly a shout of triumph the dress pants were off, Steve toeing off the socks and shoes with them. Now that he was standing, Steve had a better angle for Tony's own pair of pants, and dove forward to begin tugging them off while Tony moved to his own button. Boxer briefs came off with the slacks as they were pulled with shoes and socks as well, and shucked to the side to be forgotten. Steve's own briefs were quick to follow, joining the last of the clothes on the floor while the two men stared at each other in awed silence. This only lasted a moment before they were moving together again, now clutching each other closer and grazing teeth against bare skin. Steve sank back onto the sofa and into Tony as the man wrapped his legs around him, letting out a gasp of pleasure as their cocks brushed against one another. Steve buried his face into Tony's collar and wrapped his arms around Tony's backside as he thrust forward, rubbing their solids shafts against one another in a frictioned slide.

 

"There's lube in the pants' pocket," Tony groaned into the air above him as Steve sucked a twin bruise into his clavicle and kneaded his cheeks beneath them, and Steve let out a puff that sounded like a groan and a laugh mixed together.

 

"For our first date?" He asked incredulously into Tony's sweating skin, and Tony laughed in return and kneed Steve gently in the side.

 

"A guy can be hopeful, you know. You're kind of the peak of human perfection, I've got to take what I can get." Steve pulled back in order to catch Tony's eye as the man spoke, but Tony was careful not to look up from where he had locked eyes on the hickey he'd left earlier. Steve decided to let it go for now in favor of reaching for Tony's pants, nearly falling off the sofa in an attempt to grab the fabric without moving too far. In his attempts to right himself he nearly toppled a stack of magazines sitting on the nearby coffee table, and his eyes caught sight of his name on a sheet of paper sitting on top. Steve was reaching for that just as Tony grabbed him by the sides and he seized up as Tony's fingers passed over a ticklish spot, finally upsetting the entire stack of papers and burying the note. It was forgotten as Steve sat up to fight off Tony's advances, holding the man down with his hips while he fumbled in the brunet's pants' pocket for an unfamiliar tube.

 

He finally found it, and pulled it out while Tony reattached himself to Steve's neck. Steve let out a grunt as he tried to get the small tube open while resisting manhandling Tony back into their earlier position. The slick oil leaked out as soon as Steve pried the small tube open, slicking up his hands immediately and dripping onto Tony and the sofa below. Tony let out a gasp as the coolness touched his skin, so Steve rubbed his fingers together quickly before pressing his hand between the two of them. He wasted no time seeking out Tony's hole, flexing under Tony's squirming body and twitching under Steve's gentle touch. Tony let out a moan of satisfaction as Steve caressed the entrance, taking his time to tease the rim while grasping teasingly at Tony's cock with his free hand. Tony let out another moan of pleasure, nearing a whimper, as Steve's first finger finally breached his entrance, just barely. Steve concentrated on that sound, pumping Tony while he worked his first finger into his tight hole. Steve worked at a slow pace, ignoring Tony's occasional pleas of _more_ or _harder_ or _faster_ in favor of sucking at the brunet's sweat-salty skin or dragging his thumb over the tip of Tony's throbbing shaft, causing him to gasp or moan again and increase his pleas.

 

Steve eventually found his way to Tony's prostate, pressing against it with the pad of his finger while pressing in a second finger at the same time.

 

"Fuck, Steve," Tony cursed as Steve did so, bucking up into Steve and thrusting hard into his grip with the contact. Steve leaned forward and pressed his lips against Tony's as he worked the second finger farther, occasionally brushing Tony's sweet spot but mostly trying to distract Tony with the press of his lips and tongue. Tony accepted all of it hungrily, sucking at Steve's bottom lip and clinging to his hair while eagerly taking Steve's fingers. They continued this way with a third finger, and finally a fourth, before Tony was nearly sobbing with want and Steve found himself losing patience.

 

"Are you ready?" Steve asked against Tony's lips as he slicked his own cock, smearing more lube against his shaft and Tony's loose entrance before lining himself up.

 

"God, yes, Steve, please," was Tony's reply, and he barely gave Steve a chance to react before he was pushing down against the head of Steve's penis. Steve grasped at Tony's hips to steady him, guiding the head further in and groaning when it finally breached Tony's hole entirely. Tony let out a sound much like a keen as Steve eased himself in slowly, moving against Steve's firm grip on his thigh and forcing Steve to grasp him about the middle to keep him still. Tony wrapped his legs around Steve to allow the blond better access and Steve finally sank all the way to the hilt, brushing his thighs against Tony's. He allowed Tony a moment to adjust while Tony took deep breath beneath him, giving an experimental thrust when the brunet wiggled his hips ever so slightly. Tony let out a groaned Yes! and Steve took that as his sign to move, pulling back out almost entirely and pressing in with one long thrust.

 

They began to move together, Tony locking his ankles behind Steve and clinging to him as though to hold in all of Steve's pumping cock, and Steve using the arm of the sofa as leverage to get a better angle on Tony. Tony gasped and moaned as Steve occasionally brushed his prostate with his thrusting, his movement growing more erratic as his body neared orgasm and began to tire out.

 

"I'm close, fuck I'm close, Steve," Tony warned on one particularly hard thrust just as Steve uttered the same, and Steve lifted himself for a better angle and began to speed up his thrusts. Tony barely had time to gasp out Steve's name before he came between them, spreading stickiness on their bellies and spasming with the buzz of his orgasm. Steve rode it out with him, slowing his movement only while Tony pulled at his hair and gasped his name. As soon as Tony had mostly stilled he resumed his frenzied thrusting for only a few strokes before crossing over into his own release. Steve gasped Tony's name against his lips as he released his seed into the brunet, slowing on the last few drops and nearly collapsing on top of his lover. Tony let out a laugh as Steve gave a relaxed sigh above him, pushing at his muscled chest almost immediately.

 

"Don't fall on me you overmuscled ape," Tony joked, stroking Steve's sweaty skin and laughing through his words as he struggled to keep Steve from collapsing on top of him. Steve laughed as well, gently pulling out and causing Tony to pause and gasp again before he collapsed to his side, drawing Tony into his arms and holding the man in place against his side. "Augh, and don't smother me, either!" Tony cried from his buried position, but his protests were too weak to have any real sharpness behind them. Tony eventually settled his head against Steve's chest and threw one leg over Steve's own before settling further in and falling asleep almost immediately.

 

"Goodnight, Tony," Steve called quietly to the softly snoring brunet, and thought he might have heard Tony mutter the same in reply.

 

-

 

Steve opened his eyes slowly, taking in the sunlight streaming through the full-size windows and the chill of bare skin slowly before letting the memories of the previous night fade back to him. He was naked but warm where Tony was pressed against his side, drooling just a little over one of Steve's pecs and clinging like a child to a stuffed toy, but Steve couldn't bring himself to mind when he found he could easily tangle his fingers in Tony's sleep-mussed hair and watch Tony's relaxed face with ease. He allowed himself to enjoy the image while his body fully awoke, testing each sore muscle and healing scab mentally as he calculated the damage from the previous night. Everything was healing quickly, and would probably be gone entirely within a day, so Steve let his mind wander while he waited for Tony to wake. He was just wondering what they might do for breakfast when he suddenly remembered the note that they'd thrown to the ground last night in their eagerness, and decided to find that while Tony was still asleep.

 

He rolled over, careful not to wake Tony, and stretched for the crumpled note. Steve's name was scrawled onto the outside of the taped piece of paper so he regarded it curiously before finally giving in and opening it up, reading it slowly around Tony's cuddling body.

 

Steve, it read, in a handwriting Steve immediately recognized from a number of notices and notes he had received during his time at Stark Tower. He had often expressed his appreciation to Pepper for leaving him physical letters, although he was uncertain of how happy he was going to be after receiving this particular note,

 

_JARVIS showed me the footage of your daring save and we noticed you both take off immediately after the fight downtown. I thought about congratulating you but decided you and Tony might appreciate a little peace and quiet instead. As a thanks from one friend to another, I've cleared the surrounding floors of staff and put the main level on lockdown until morning. If you need anything, you of course know how to reach me and if Tony needs me, you can tell him where to shove it._

_Additionally, press matters have been handled in regards to your date in the restaurant. Please direct all questions either to Becky downstairs or myself, and please take advantage of the leftover dessert in the fridge whenever you please._

_Regards,_

_Pepper Potts_

_P.S. Tony has a fundraiser at the MoMA later in the week. I'm assuming you're going to be his +1 but if you'd like a tour ahead of time to familiarize yourself please let me know and I can schedule some time to take you. You'll need to be up to date on the current exhibition in order to properly serve as the host's date but I have confidence you'll be fine._

Steve stared at the note for a full five minutes, reading a rereading it to make sure he hadn't missed something vital or misinterpreted anything written. He sheepishly admitted to himself that he would not have noticed last night if there had been anybody in the rooms when the two of them had arrived and had... gotten busy rather quickly, but now that the thought had come up he was incredibly grateful Pepper had had the foresight he apparently lacked. He silently folded the note and sent her a mental thank you, making a note to himself to remember to find out her favorite flower or treat as soon as he saw her again. Pepper was already proving to be an incredible ally in his efforts to court and woo Tony Stark even despite her original and terrifying threats to him, and as Steve got comfortable under Tony again, he thought that she might actually make a good friend, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gift fic for mrhd from the Cap_IronMan Holiday Exchange. I kind of decided to go out on a limb with this one and might have gone a little nuts but I do hope my giftee enjoyed it anyway. I hope everybody enjoyed it!


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